In the background art, an air conditioner is used with a configuration where a compressor, an indoor heat exchanger, and an outdoor heat exchanger are connected with each other.
An air conditioner, where using of an expansion valve changes during cooling operation and during heating operation as described in, for example, US 2011/0203300 A1, is proposed as this type of air conditioner. In this air conditioner, reducing of pressure of refrigerant is performed in an indoor expansion valve which sends refrigerant to the indoor side and is provided in front of an indoor heat exchanger without reducing of pressure of refrigerant being performed at the outlet of an outdoor heat exchanger by an outdoor expansion valve, which is provided at the outlet side of the outdoor heat exchanger, being bypassed during cooling operation. In addition, reducing of pressure of refrigerant is performed in the outdoor expansion valve which sends refrigerant to the outdoor side and is provided in front of the outdoor heat exchanger without reducing of pressure of refrigerant being performed at the outlet of the indoor heat exchanger by the indoor expansion valve, which is provided at the outlet side of the indoor heat exchanger, being bypassed during heating operation.